Land: Santorum Should Consider Bolting Race

Conservative Christian leader Richard Land, a supporter of Rick Santorum’s presidential bid, says he should contemplate ending his campaign. The former Pennsylvania senator "ought to seriously consider leaving the race now," Land, a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, told “Face the Nation” on CBS Sunday.

Santorum trails front-runner Mitt Romney by a large margin and has little chance to make up the gap. "In eight years, he [Santorum] will be three years younger than Romney is now," Land said, suggesting Santorum can run again even if former Massachusetts Gov. Romney wins two terms. "But you know, running for president is a very personal decision; when to get out is a very personal decision, and he's going to have to make that."

Santorum has consulted with a number of conservative leaders about how he should proceed from here. But the campaign appears determined to keep going at least through the April 24 Pennsylvania primary that Santorum has called a must-win for his campaign.

On another subject, Land defended the Southern Baptist Convention's alliance with the Republican Party. "We didn't make abortion on demand legal in every state in the country and strike down the laws against abortion in all 50 states," he said. "We didn't seek to erode the expression in the public square by people of faith."